Imani Sanga
Encyclopedia
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and Choral Conductor is a Senior Lecturer in Music at the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Born in Matamba Uwanji (Iringa
Iringa
Iringa is a city in Tanzania with a population of 112,900 . It is situated at a latitude of 7.77°S and longitude of 35.69°E. The name is derived from the Hehe word lilinga, meaning fort....
) in 1972, Imani Sanga was educated at Chimala primary school, Kidugala Lutheran Seminary, University of Dar es Salaam
University of Dar es Salaam
The University of Dar es Salaam is a university in the Tanzanian city of Dar es Salaam. The university was born out of a decision taken in 1970 to split the then University of East Africa into three independent universities; Makerere University , University of Nairobi and University of Dar es...
where he earned his BA (1999) and his MA (2001) and University of KwaZulu-Natal
University of KwaZulu-Natal
The University of KwaZulu-Natal or UKZN is a university with five campuses all located in the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. It was formed on 1 January 2004 after the merger between the University of Natal and the University of Durban-Westville.-History:-University of...
where he earned a PhD degree in 2006. He wrote his PhD dissertation entitled "Muziki wa Injili: Temporal and Spatial Aesthetics of Popular Church Music in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (1980s-2005)" under the supervision of Professor Beverly Parker. He spent a Fall Semester (from August to December) 2007 as a Research Scholar at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and Mount Holyoke College through Five College African Scholars Program working on a book manuscript based on his PhD dissertation.
Dr. Sanga's ethnographic research and writing focus on church music and popular music of Tanzania
Music of Tanzania
The music of Tanzania stretches from traditional African music to the string-based taarab to a distinctive hip hop known as bongo flava.-National anthem:...
in relation to the construction of gendered, religious and national spaces (i.e. social identity
Social identity
A social identity is the portion of an individual's self-concept derived from perceived membership in a relevant social group. As originally formulated by Henri Tajfel and John Turner in the 1970s and 80s, social identity theory introduced the concept of a social identity as a way in which to...
) within the context of globalisation. His work draws from a number of theoretical perspectives such as African philosophy
African philosophy
African philosophy is used in different ways by different philosophers. Although African philosophers spend their time doing work in many different areas, such as metaphysics, epistemology, moral philosophy, and political philosophy, a great deal of the literature is taken up with a debate...
, aesthetics of music
Aesthetics of music
Traditionally, the aesthetics of music or musical aesthetics concentrated on the quality and study of the beauty and enjoyment of music. The origin of this philosophic sub-discipline is sometimes attributed to Baumgarten in the 18th century, followed by Kant...
, postcolonial theory, cultural theory and continental philosophy
Continental philosophy
Continental philosophy, in contemporary usage, refers to a set of traditions of 19th and 20th century philosophy from mainland Europe. This sense of the term originated among English-speaking philosophers in the second half of the 20th century, who used it to refer to a range of thinkers and...
.
Books
(2010)- Sounds of Muziki wa Injili: Temporal and Spatial Aesthetics of Contemporary Church Music in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. (Lambert Academic Publishing).
This book focusses on Muziki wa Injili (Gospel Music), one of the newer music genres in Tanzania. In this book Imani Sanga explores the ways in which performances of this music and practices surrounding its creation and use are related to various concepts of time and space. Through ethnographic accounts and musical analyses, he examines various changes that have taken place in Muziki wa Injili since the 1980s to 2005 and he discusses the role this music genre has played in shaping people’s experiences of events, identities and social relations (with particular reference to gendered, natioanal and religious identities and relations) in Dar es Salaam.
- Find more details at: http://www.amazon.com/SOUNDS-MUZIKI-INJILI-Aesthetics-Contemporary/dp/3838363256/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277468564&sr=1-1
(1996)
- Nyimbo za Tanzania. 1996. A songbook - published by the FinnishFinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
-Tanzanian Friendship Society, HelsinkiHelsinkiHelsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
This book is a collection of Imani Sanga's earlier compositions and arrangements of traditional songs from various music cultures in Tanzania for church choirs.
Articles
(2011)- Music and the Regulatory Regimes of Gender and Sexuality in Tanzania.Popular Music and Society 34(3): 351-368 http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03007766.2010.522816.
- Mzungu Kichaa and the Figuring of Identity in Bongo Fleva Music in Tanzania.International Review of the Aesthetics and Sociology of Music 42(1): 189-208.
(2010)
- Dr. Remmy Ongala and the Traveling sounds: Postcolonial cosmopolitan music in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. African Studies Review 53(3): 61-76.
- The practice and politics of hybrid soundscapes in Muziki wa Injili in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Journal of African Cultural Studies 22 (2): 145-156http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13696815.2010.491329.
(2009)
- Teaching-Learning Processes in Muziki wa Injili in Dar es Salaam. African Music: Journal of the International Library of African Music 8(3):132—143.
(2008)
- Music and nationalism in Tanzania: Dynamics of national space in Muziki wa Injili in Dar es Salaam. Ethnomusicology 52(1):52—84.
(2007)
- Gender in church music: Dynamics of gendered space in Muziki wa Injili in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Journal of Popular Music Studies. 19(1): 59—91.
(2006)
- Composition processes in popular church music in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Ethnomusicology Forum 15(2): 247—271.
- Kumpolo: Aesthetic appreciation and cultural appropriation of bird sounds in Tanzania. Folklore 117(1): 97—102.
Music albums
- Ninakuja Bwana (1999)
- Anabisha Fungua (2002, with The Patmos)
- Haleluya Yesu Yu Hai (2004, with The Patmos)
Groups performed with
- University Choir at the University of Dar es Salaam as Conductor.
- The Patmos (a University based Gospel Music group) as guitarist and keyboardist
- Kwaya ya Uinjilisti Sayuni (Sayuni Evangelical Choir) as guitaristGuitaristA guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
, keyboardistKeyboardistA keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
and singer - Kwaya ya Uinjilisti Kijitonyama (Kijitonyama Evangelical Choir) as guitarist, keyboardist and singer
- Kwaya Kuu (Main Choir) of CCT at the University of Dar es Salaam as conductorConductingConducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
/mwalimu and organistOrganistAn organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists... - Kwaya ya Watoto (Children Choir) of CCT at the University of Dar es Salaam as conductorConductingConducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
/mwalimu and organistOrganistAn organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists... - Kidugala Lutheran Seminary choir in NjombeNjombeNjombe is one of the 7 districts of the Iringa Region of Tanzania. It is bordered to the North by the Mufindi District, to the South by the Ludewa District, to the East by the Morogoro and Ruvuma Regions, to the West by the Makete District and to the Northwest by the Mbeya Region.According to the...
, Iringa as conductor - In 2004-2005 he sang with the Durban Chamber Choir in South Africa as a tenor singer while studying at KwaZulu-Natal University.
- In 2007 (August–December) he sang with the Hampshire Choral Society in Massachusetts, USA.